


A Captain's Dignity

by ashflower



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Coming of Age, Competition, F/M, Friends & Rivals, Friendship, Hope, Light Angst, One-Sided Attraction, Pining, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:40:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25414072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashflower/pseuds/ashflower
Summary: What do you do when the person you love makes you hate everything that you are?[Ushijima Wakatoshi/F! Reader]Set during Shiratorizawa days.
Relationships: Ushijima Wakatoshi/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 41





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I originally drafted this fic way back in like 2014/2015, but never posted it. With HQ officially finished, I've gone on a nostalgic trip and have decided to revisit my Haikyuu fics, starting with this Ushijima one. Updates will be sporadic.

You don’t know how long you have been running for. Your limbs feel raw, ready to rip at your muscles and tear right off your body, but you can’t stop. The wind is a stark contrast to the burning of your body, a cooling sensation against the fire inside of you. 

There’s only one path ahead of you; a horizon that’s impossible to reach and yet you won’t stop. You can’t. Call it pride or persistence; whatever it may be, you have long ago abandoned the confines of such pettiness. It does not matter to you, such labels. The adrenaline that courses through your body is an addiction that lays everything else inconsequential. Right now, it is only you and the wind, and the calm horizon. 

Eventually, your pace slows upon nearing your destination. Your body no longer burns as the wind wraps itself around your being and cools you down. The sunset is beautiful, a scenery that you don’t think you’ll ever get sick of as peach-coloured skies descend to the earth. For as long as you could remember, that sight has always greeted you; a consistent embrace at the end of the finish line.

Then—a second wind. One from someone taller than you; bigger than you; faster than you. He is stronger and _better_ and he rushes past you without a second glance, not even so much as an acknowledgement. 

You push forward, once again, chasing after that larger being whose shadow envelops yours. Even when your body feels like it will erupt any minute now and you can feel your lunch threaten to rise through your throat. Your destination is the same, but you’ll be damned if Ushijima beats you. It takes you less than a minute to catch up to him, and when you do, he finally acknowledges you.

“You’re late,” he chides.

A smile cracks at your lips. “It’s a nice day. They say that we should always stop to smell the flowers.”

“There aren’t even any flowers around,” he rebuts bluntly. 

You laugh, the mannerisms of his response expected, and yet always catches you off guard. He is simple in nature, only taking things at face value, and everything comes to him effortlessly. It is hard not to be envious of such simplicity, and you would hate to taint such innocence.

“How is your junior championship training going?”

Even against his consistent yet rapid pace, he replies evenly, not a hinder in his breath. “They’re going well.” It’s vague, hardly an answer, but you know that for people like him —once-in-a-lifetime sort of talents— it is only vague because he hardly has to try. “And yourself? I’ve heard that you’ve joined a training camp?” 

“I was only helping out,” you reply, idly spotting the curious glance he sends your way, but it is only brief. “I didn’t get to do much training myself, but I did get to learn a few tricks here and there.”

He hums an acknowledgement, but doesn’t ask more. There’s no need to; whatever tricks you may have learnt is probably already in his arsenal, and he shifts his focus back to the task at hand. He goes silent, and through the hard lines making themselves more visible on his body, you know that he is preparing to finish. 

“I’m going to go ahead first.”

You nod your head, and Ushijima’s pace quickens. Faster than before; stronger, and even at your best you still struggle to catch up with him. It’s no use. He’s too good—you’ve always known that he is. And, after a few more steps, you footsteps finally come to a halt, defeat sinking into your bones all the way into your heart. He is further ahead of you now, and no matter how hard you persist, you will never be able to catch up to him.

You bring a hand to shield your eyes as the sunlight catches in your sight, its rays blinding, but all that you can see, encompassing that incredible horizon, is Ushijima’s shadow.


	2. Chapter 2

By the time that you arrive at the school, many of the student body have already left. There’s only a few people who still loiter around aside from school staff; students working hard at their own agenda whether its for personal reasons or club duties. You are the latter, having stayed behind to practice your own skills.

As you wipe down the sweat from your skin and chug a bottle of water, a sudden impact collides with your shoulder. You jump, the water catching in your throat and you sputter a mess in the locker room as a heinous laughter sounds behind you.

“You always fall for that, without fail,” someone teases, between guffaws. 

You bring your towel to clean your mess, but upon sniffing the scent of your sweat, you grimace and toss it aside, wiping away the rest of your spit with the back of your hand. 

“You’re done with your interview?” you ask. 

Sana nods her head, and rolls her shoulder back. “Just finished,” she says, her eyes scanning your sorry state. Sweat still glistens on your skin and there is a stain on the bottom of your shirt. She goes into her locker and hands you her spare towel. “You know, if you’d stop spacing out, maybe it wouldn’t so easy to sneak up on you.”

You roll your eyes but take the towel gratefully, and continue with your previous actions. It doesn’t take you very long to clean up, but your best friend still keeps you company nonetheless, as she sits on the bench in the middle of the locker room.

“How did it go?”

You spot her shrug, in your small mirror against the metal door. 

“Fine,” she says. There’s little tension in her voice, and you know how the story goes. Sana is full of confidence, and therefore easy-going by nature. Very little affects her determination, and, since your childhood, she has always been aware of her goals for the future. There has never been any hesitation or trepidation from her end. “Did you hear that Shiori got scouted by Keio?”

You shake your head, surprised at the information. Shiori is another girl on your team, a bundle of energy. She only started playing volleyball in her third year of middle school and plays the role of the libero. Her skills are good, but in comparison to many other talented students, she could only be considered slightly better than average.

“Well, she attended a training camp in Tokyo over the summer. Apparently the scout liked her hard effort and wanted to give her a chance at the university. It’s only a partial scholarship that they’re offering though, so she’s not sure if she’s going to accept it.”

“I didn’t know she was intending on playing after high school.”

“She wasn’t, but she had a talk with her parents, and they said that if we get to nationals this year, then if she wanted to, then her parents would support her in pursuing volleyball professionally.”

“That’s… amazing.” You’re in awe, astonished by how supportive her normally strict parents are. They have always endeavoured for their only child to pursue something more practical — like an officer worker — and although Shiori is always pleasant to be around, she is far-less easy going than Sana. 

“Right?” Sana finally rises, tucking her phone away. Her eyes scan your appearance which is now fully put together, and she nudges her head to the exit of the locker room. You lead the way, and she follows beside you. “But anyway, enough about her. You still never told me what school you’re applying to.”

Her question makes you freeze mid-step, and you grasp the strap of your schoolbag with tight fingers. The action doesn’t go unnoticed by your best friend, and she frowns in response as she turns to you. You send her an apologetic smile, but before you can utter the words, she cuts you off.

“Don’t say that you didn’t receive any offers either,” she scowls. “Who doesn’t know that recruiters have been knocking on your door since first year?”

You shake your head, and continue your exit from the school. Sana falls into step beside you, not at all one to be deterred by her own confusion.

“I… haven’t thought about it, to be honest.” You shrug, and observe the scenery ahead of you. You have been down this path many times before. It is the same as always, but, you can’t help but feel regretful of how soon you will have to part from it. Three years have gone by fast—in the blink of an eye, and you find yourself feeling nostalgic even though the moment is still in front of you. “I’ve been really busy, Sana.”

“Yeah, who hasn’t?” she sighs, but it is a harmless sigh. “I guess we still have time… But let me know, alright? I want to go to university with you. We can play volleyball there, too!”

Her dreams are so enchanting; so vivid; so earnest. For a moment, you find yourself wondering if you could share in the same dream… 

The smile on your lips this time is softer, more genuine, but underneath it belies the apprehension for tomorrow. It must be nice to be so easy-going, you think; though, it is in her nature to be earnest and forthright in everything that she does. Sana has always been enchanting in a way that you are not. Her dreams and goals for the future are so endearing—so clear and vivid, and always consistent. Even though you are uncertain as to whether or not you can share in the same dreams as her, you still find yourself enchanted. 

“Of course.” 

For a little bit longer, you hope that you can pursue this dream; to walk on the path of greatness along with your best friend, even if your sun is eclipsed by someone else.


End file.
